HELSINKI, April 4 – Finland’s President Alexander Stubb has called on France or Britain to take the lead in engaging with Russia over the war in Ukraine as part of European efforts to support Kyiv.
Speaking in Helsinki on Thursday, Stubb said European countries backing Ukraine had agreed that at least one of their leaders should engage with Russia at some stage.
“My personal preference would be that our representatives of the Coalition of the Willing would be doing that. In other words, France or the United Kingdom,” he told reporters.
Finland is part of the European coalition that has pledged continued military support for Ukraine, amid growing concerns that U.S. backing for Kyiv may weaken. Stubb emphasized that any engagement with Russia should be carefully coordinated.
Finland, which shares a 1,300-km (800-mile) border with Russia, has been a strong supporter of Ukraine and joined NATO in 2023 following Russia’s full-scale invasion. Moscow criticized Helsinki’s decision, calling it a historic mistake.
Earlier this week, the Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin was open to restoring relations with Finland, accusing Helsinki of reducing ties to “nearly zero” after joining NATO.